As the County face up to life back in the top-tier of domestic County Cricket, we look back at some memorable matches from the past against opposition we are scheduled to meet in the forthcoming campaign.
In this feature, three glorious games with Somerset fall under the spotlight.
Essex v Somerset at Chelmsford on 16, 17, 18 June 1926. Match tied.
Somerset 208 (JCW MacBryan 80) & 107 (LC Eastman 6-59, MS Nichols 4-45) . Essex 178 (JC White 5-57) & 137-9 (JJ Bridges 5-33).
The first County Championship match to be staged at Chelmsford was also the first tied match in the club’s history. On a wicket always offering assistance to the bowlers, only Jack MacBryan managed to display the appropriate and effective application and technique. He scored 80 and was the only batsman to record a half-century in the match. Jack Freeman scored 43 but apart from the opener’s contribution, the home side also struggled trailing by 30 runs on first innings after extras had contributed 35 welcome runs, the second highest score of the innings!
Whilst spin had proved the trick for Somerset, their opponents preferred to rely on pace as Stan Nichols and Laurie Eastman stepped forward to boost Essex hopes. Bowling unchanged, they combined to rout Somerset for just 107 to leave the hosts requiring 138 runs for victory on a wicket that was offering increasing assistance to the bowlers. However, rain and the wet state of the wicket delayed the start of play on the final day until shortly before 3.00 p.m. leaving Essex approximately two and three-quarter hours batting time.
Frederick Nicholas was promoted up the order and he and fellow opener Jim Cutmore gave the innings a solid start posting 27 runs before being parted. Warm sunshine began to significantly affect the wicket and the introduction of medium-paced Jimmy Bridges started a decline. Using his off-cutter to good effect, he claimed four wickets to reduce the home side to 60-5 and apart from his continued threat, keen fielding plus a slow outfield and the passing of time began to threaten Essex victory hopes. Nichols and Jack Freeman, who went in at the fall of the fifth wicket, restored belief with a 54-run stand in 45 minutes and when Nichols departed, only 24 further runs were needed with three wickets standing.
With less than a minute remaining, Essex levelled the scores with eight wickets down and Percy Perrin and Laurie Eastman at the crease. Bridges bowled to Eastman who struck out in an attempt to score the winning run but the ball flew into the hands of Guy Earle. Last man Gerald Ridley ran out to the middle but before he could arrive, umpire Frank Chester looked at the clock and promptly removed the bails leaving the scores level.
The ruling of the umpires (Jack Stone was Chester’s colleague for this match), was that Somerset should be deemed to have won on first innings.
Essex captain Perrin, at the age of 50 years and leading the side in the absence of Johnny Douglas, had raised no objections when the bails were removed but now challenged the officials’ interpretation of the points allocation. A request was sent to the MCC for a ruling and the response, after much deliberation, was that the 5 points should be shared. The incident did make the authorities consider the regulations relating to the last over of the match and in due course, it was altered so that the last over must be completed provided it is begun before time, no matter how long it may take.
The controversial conclusion to the match was described in The Times as follows: . “At Chelmsford yesterday, there was an intensely exciting finish to the match. The home side with a full innings to play had been set 138 runs to win. They had scored 137 of these when Eastman, attempting to run a single was caught. Half a minute then remained for play but as Ridley, the last man, ran to the crease, the bails were removed by the umpires and Mr.Perrin, the Essex captain walked in. Thus the match was drawn with Somerset securing points for a lead on first innings. Before the players left the field, John Daniell, the Somerset captain was apparently calling Mr.Perrin back but the game was not continued. Instructions issued by the MCC state: ‘If a wicket falls within two minutes of “time”, the umpires should call “time” unless the incoming batsman claims his right to bat for the time remaining.’
Somerset v Essex at Taunton on July 27, 29, 30 1985. Essex won by 7 wickets. Somerset 363 (I.Botham 152, J.Wyatt 50, I.Pont 5-103, D.East 8 catches) & innings forfeited, Essex 68-1 declared & 296-3 (G.Gooch 173*).
A memorable match, not only for the manner of victory by the visitors but for a record-breaking performance from wicket-keeper David East on the opening day when he equalled the world record for a wicket-keeper held by Wally Grout of 8 catches in an innings. David recalled his personal landmark achievement and with his permission, his reflections of that day are reproduced here.
“Birthdays during a cricket season tend to pass almost unnoticed. In fact, the only memorable feature is the rather large dent that a sizeable round of drinks makes in an already depleted expense allowance. When I awoke on Saturday July 27th, 1985, I had no reason to believe that this birthday was to be any different.
We had spent the night at our hotel in Taunton preparing ourselves for our Championship match against Somerset. Over the past few days, there had been various comments from our bowlers as to how many balls Messrs Botham and Richards would send out of the ground during the forthcoming match and similarly from our batsmen as to how many bits they would have chipped off them by a certain Joel Garner. All the comments were good-humoured but with an opposition such as Somerset, something spectacular was bound to happen.
We found ourselves taking the field at 11.a.m. with a brace of Ponts in our ranks. Ian was making his first-class debut for Essex accompanied by the somewhat more seasoned figure of his brother Keith. Ageing copies of Wisden were hurriedly thumbed revealing that this was the first time since Claude and Hubert Ashton played some 51 years ago that two brothers had represented an Essex side in a first-class match.
In the absence of both John Lever and Neil Foster, young Pont was thrown the new ball. A very lively spell ensued resulting in the early fall of Roebuck and Popplewell – both to the simplest of catches behind. We were then greeted by the awesome entrance of the great I.V.A.Richards. Ian’s first ball to Vivian didn’t inspire the utmost confidence as it ricocheted off the extra cover boards back into play. A considerably quicker bouncer certainly appeared to take Viv by surprise, and then a well-disguised slower ball induced another tiny edge which I managed to hold on to – Somerset 56 for 3 – all caught East bowled Pont (I). With the quality of our bowling attack, I would normally expect two or three catches in an innings, so having three in the morning session, I was reasonably sure that would be my quota for the day.
By now, we had been joined by Ian Botham. He had decided that today was his day and was proceeding to pepper various tiers in the Old Pavilion from deliveries by a somewhat bewildered K.Pont, who had been brought on to give his brother a rest. The game at this stage was beginning to degenerate to benefit match status as it was impossible to bowl at Botham without seeing the ball race to the boundary. Botham’s partner Nigel Felton had been batting well albeit in a much more subdued fashion, until Keith found the outside edge of his bat providing me with catch number four.
The odd flippant comment was now being made in the slips that four catches in a row was far too good an average for me and that we should expect one to go clattering to the ground very shortly.
The largest of our two Cambridge Blues (Derek Pringle) had been bowling earlier without success but an inspired post-lunch spell, no doubt fuelled by the mountain of food he consumed during the interval, brought the reward of three wickets, all caught behind. At this stage, I was not alone in wondering what the record for most catches in an innings was. Our question was swiftly answered by the animated image of our Secretary/manager’s wife, Sue (Edwards) trying to catch the attention of one of us from the pavilion in what looked like a cross between poor semaphore and a break dance. She succeeded and the message conveyed was that seven catches were an Essex record and that one more would equal the world record.
The inane comments one would expect from our team had, of course, started. When, however a misjudged hook from Botham gave Ian Pont his fifth wicket and provided my eighth catch, there were some very genuine congratulations all round.
Botham declared the Somerset innings closed on 363-9 and I was obviously very pleased with the day’s events although a little disappointed in not having the chance to get a ninth catch. However our captain, K.W.R.Fletcher, soon brought me back down to reality saying that his daughter Tara could have caught them all with one hand tied behind her back.
I certainly won’t be forgetting my 26th birthday in a hurry, not least for the fortune it cost me in the bar that night.”
The second day’s play was washed out, good news for those with a few sore heads, and negotiations between the two captains on day three ensured there would be some meaningful cricket on the third day. Friendly bowling allowed Essex 13 overs to score 68 for 1 before they declared and with their opponents forfeiting their second innings, Essex set out to achieve a target of 296 in 90 overs or by 6.30 p.m. Somerset skipper Ian Botham came under criticism from certain quarters for what was perceived as a generous declaration although Graham Gooch recalled that Keith Fletcher had hoodwinked his opposite number into thinking the pitch was cracking up.
The innings by Gooch only helped the suggestion that the ‘Gnome’ had once again conned an opposing skipper. Essex got off to a flying start with Gooch and Paul Prichard putting on 84 before being parted (41 came from Botham’s first 4 overs). Although Ken McEwan went without troubling the scorers, Gooch was in imperious form with to underpin the victory with an unbeaten 173 off 190 balls. He was well-supported by Derek Pringle who contributed 45 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership of 131 as Essex raced to victory with 21 overs to spare.
